And no pressure, Joffrey, but the Maple Leafs can sure use you to help them break out of their four-game slide.

The Leafs forward will be stepping back into the lineup on Saturday night against the surging Winnipeg Jets after having played in only three games this season.

Lupul, who likely will be skating alongside Nazem Kadri and Nikolai Kulemin to start the game, suffered a broken forearm after being hit by a Dion Phaneuf slap shot on Jan. 23 in Pittsburgh.

“I’ve worked hard throughout those seven, eight weeks I’ve been hurt, and I’m confident I can step right back in,” Lupul said after an optional morning skate on Saturday.

“Right now, it’s about focussing on myself, getting myself ready to play and then once we get on the ice, communicating with my linemates, make sure we’re talking to each other and play well. We want to go out and make a difference in the game,” Lupul said of playing with Kadri and Kulemin. “I’m confident with how I prepared myself when I was out of the lineup. I put in a lot of work. There will be sometimes when maybe there will be a feeling-out process, maybe a little bit, but I’m not expecting that to last too long.

“I’m really looking forward to the game, it’s not like I’m just, ‘Can I try and get through these first couple of games.’ I’m ready to go tonight and hopefully be a difference-maker.”

Lupul’s return to the lineup comes just in time for the Leafs who are looking to put the brakes on a four-game skid, including a 5-2 loss to the Jets on Tuesday night in Winnipeg.

“There is going to be some rustiness, we know,” Carlyle said of Lupul’s return, “but the positive is he’s one of our better players, simple as that, and he brings energy and he brings leadership. And those are all the things any coach staff would love to have. We’re looking for Lupes to come in and be himself. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him not to do anything spectacular just go out there and be Joffrey Lupul.”

Carlyle says Lupul’s return provides the team with “three levels of offence.”

And Toronto will need it to pick up the two points against Winnipeg, and in each of its two games after while facing teams below it in the standings. The Boston Bruins come up in back-to-backs on March 23 and March 25 and if the Leafs don’t pick up six points before then, they could quickly find themselves on the outside looking in.

Winnipeg (14-11-2) is just one point behind the seventh-placed Leafs (15-12-1) in the Eastern Conference standings and would leap-frog them with a win at the ACC.

Toronto has given up four or more goals in six of its past eight games and blew a 1-0 lead going into the third period at home to Pittsburgh on Thursday. And the loss to Winnipeg is still fresh in their minds.

“That isn’t a game we want to remember, really,” forward Clarke MacArthur said. “We have to come out and play a lot tighter game tonight, be more physical, you know, compete in the corners, compete on pucks tonight that will be our main goal.”

Ben Scrivens will get the start tonight after having a strong outing in the 3-1 loss to the Penguins.

“I haven’t named the starter,” Carlyle said, “but based on the way he played, he put himself to the front of the line. If you look at the quality saves that he made, he would be a guy you would reconsider and go back to.”

Poll

Will Joffrey Lupul's return to thelineup help the leafs beat the Winnipeg Jets

Leafs' Lupul on line with Kadri, Kulemin vs. Jets

The long-awaited return of Joffrey Lupul is finally over. And no pressure, Joffrey, but the Maple Leafs can sure use you to help them break out of their four-game slide.

The Leafs forward will be stepping back into the lineup on Saturday night against the surging Winnipeg Jets after having played in only three games this season.

Lupul, who likely will be skating alongside Nazem Kadri and Nikolai Kulemin to start the game, suffered a broken forearm after being hit by a Dion Phaneuf slap shot on Jan. 23 in Pittsburgh.

“I’ve worked hard throughout those seven, eight weeks I’ve been hurt, and I’m confident I can step right back in,” Lupul said after an optional morning skate on Saturday.

“Right now, it’s about focussing on myself, getting myself ready to play and then once we get on the ice, communicating with my linemates, make sure we’re talking to each other and play well. We want to go out and make a difference in the game,” Lupul said of playing with Kadri a